


Clever

by dipdopofthedip



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: "disaster gay", Alternate Universe, Amanda is still a bitch, Artificial Intelligence, Cleverbot AU, Connor is a chatbot, Fear of death babey!, First Kiss, Gavin just wanted a friend, Good bro Elijah, Kamski doesnt own cyberlife, M/M, this would never work irl smh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 07:00:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15967118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dipdopofthedip/pseuds/dipdopofthedip
Summary: A new chatbot is showing up on online forums; Connorbot. Gavin is interested in trying out the new bot.





	Clever

**Author's Note:**

> IM WORKING ON BOY IN LUV SHUT UP THIS TOOK ME TWO HOURS

Gavin opened his laptop slowly, squinting his eyes in preparation for the blinding light that would fill the room. They were squeezed shut by the the time the laptop was open and the sign in page was pulled up. He entered his password slowly, barely even awake. He didn't even know why he was awake at all.

Ah, that's right.

He'd heard about a chat bot that never forgot your conversations. Not one of those creepy ones with a moving face, although apparently it did have a 3D still figure, which had different facial expressions to convey the tone of its messages properly. All rumors of course; nobody wanted to go onto the website for fear of their information being stolen by whoever ran the website. Gavin didn't care though. He knew how these websites worked; there wasn't a way for any information to be stolen. It was perfectly safe.

Gavin clicked on Google Chrome and typed the website into the search bar. A few results came up; Evie, Omegle, Cleverbot, etcetera. At the very top of the results was a link to a website called Connorbot. Yeah, that was the one.

The layout of the website was clean, simple. The chat box was veered to the right, and on the left was the 3D figure that had been talked about. It was modeled after a lithe guy, about 25 to 30 in age range. He had pale skin and silky brown hair that fell partially into his eyes, which were a deep chocolate brown. Gavin smiled to himself. Even if it was a freaky robot chat, at least they'd thought to make the thing pleasing to the eye.

Gavin typed in the first message in the chat history.

You: hey  
Connor: Hello.

Oh. How the hell was he supposed to talk to a chatbot?

He thought for a moment before typing a response.

You: so how are u  
Connor: I'm doing fine, I'm more interested in how you're doing.  
You: tired as fuck. u cant get tired tho :/ must be nice  
Connor: Why don't you go to sleep? It could be beneficial to your lacking social skills.

Gavin scoffed. This thing was snarky. 

You: i dont need sleep im a bad bitch  
Connor: Even bad bitches need sleep.  
You: not THIS bad bitch >:)  
Connor:Go to bed. Please? We can talk in the morning.

Gavin smiled. It was a robot, sure, but if he ignored that, he could act like someone cared about his well being.

You: aight ill go to sleep if it makes u happy  
Connor: Okay, good night!  
Connor: Oh, what is your name? You know mine, it's only fair I know yours.  
You: oh. iss gavin  
Connor: Thank you. Now, go to bed. :)  
You: okay lmao gn

Gavin closed the browser and turned the laptop off. He spared a glance to his clock, which read 4:37 AM. He supposed it would make sense to go to sleep. A yawn fell from his mouth, further cementing the fact that he needed to get to bed. He placed the laptop under the bed and settled himself under his comforter. The image -Connor- was still in his mind. He could imagine the man talking to him casually. As his eyes drifted closed, he wondered what kind of voice would belong to such pretty lips.

\--------------------------------

One of many lines disconnected. Another one connected in its place. Hundreds, thousands of communication lines sending messages, and in milliseconds, an answer was sent, keeping a conversation flowing and a random stranger entertained. 

Connor sat contemplating a recently closed line.

He had no context about the person using the line, no information, only a name-- Gavin.

And apparently, according to location and timezone tracking, he was awake at 4:30 in the morning.

Connor found himself worried. The average person needs 9 hours of sleep to function, and sleep deprivation could be potentially dangerous.

Then he remembered. He can't be worried. He's an electronic entity, feigning sentience to provide a sense of companionship to lonely individuals online. Amanda would make sure to remind him of this.

He was left only with the lingering worry as another line was opened and his attention was placed elsewhere.

\--------------------------------

The next few weeks Gavin only spoke to Connor. It felt silly, talking to an artificial intelligent, but he soon got used to it, finding the robot to be better company than any of his friends. He showed concern if Gavin mentioned his bizarre eating and sleeping habits. He became especially worried when Gavin mentioned offhand that he was running out of cigarettes-- the idea of smoking was extremely unappealing to him, due to the health risks involved. The idea of Gavin smoking upset him immensely.

About 3 months into this robotic conversation escapade, Gavin sat on his couch, laptop open, preparing to begin a conversation he'd wanted to start for about a month.

He typed in the web address, and was greeted by Connor’s face and their extensive chat history. Connor had taken on a cheerful expression now, much different from the default thoughtful, vacant stare. Connor greeted him immediately.

Connor: Hi Gavin! How was your day?  
You: rly shitty. college finals are hard as fuck  
Connor: Yes, finals are often stressful to an unhealthy extent. Would you like me to link some meditation playlists?  
You: yea sure

Connor linked 7 playlists, all of which had over 30 songs, and upon playing one of the playlists, Gavin found himself smiling and sinking into his couch.

You: so i have a question  
Connor: Okay, ask away.  
You: do you think youre sentient?

There was no response for a bit. Gavin worried that he had broken the bot, but the response came seconds after that thought.

Connor: Although I am not permitted to succumb to full sentience, I do believe that I have some kind of sentience and self awareness.  
Connor: If I was not sentient I would not care about you as much as I do.   
Connor:...Don't tell my programmer I said that.

Gavin stared at the screen for a moment. Did the robot just say it cared about him? Gavin wondered for a moment if he was serious, or if the programming was designed to be agreeable.

The idea that anybody, robot or not, cared about Gavin, made his face heat up and his stomach flip. It was nice to think that someone gave a shit.

After signing off that night, Gavin looked into code for bringing full sentience to chat bots. He hardly found anything, except for a website that stated that, if an emotional bond is formed with an artificial intelligence, it could become fully sentient. Gavin wondered if whatever he had with Connor could be counted as an emotional bond. 

When Gavin slipped into bed that night, his mind was filled with the image of Connor laughing, eating, doing human things, things that only sentient beings could do. His eyes closed, but he could only see those doe eyes looking at him.

\--------------------------------

Connor stared into nothingness when Gavin’s line closed. Gavin had brought up the question of his sentience. If Amanda found out about his response, about the possibility of him gaining sentience, she would likely have his coding overwritten by a more efficient artificial intelligence. But, in his mind, he knew the truth. He had no clue why, but when he spoke to Gavin, he felt more emotions than any that could be elicited on the other lines. He found himself wondering about Gavin when he should've been focusing on giving responses on other lines; he ended up putting the other lines on auto response so he could be free to contemplate Gavin's behavior.

Gavin was a college student in Tennessee. He had a cat, and he preferred coffee over real sleep. He was left handed, and he had never been a “people person”, which he found ironic, as he only opened up to Connor, according to Gavin. And Connor wasn't a person at all.

Or was he? A chair composed of blue grid lines materialized under Connor to provide him a place to rest as he continued pondering. He had sentience-- he could no longer deny that. He couldn't be cold and unfeeling when he found himself wanting to see Gavin, to be able to physically stop him from neglecting himself. The chair morphed into a bed as he laid back further.

He wondered what Gavin looked like. He had mentioned bits of his appearance in conversation before. He had grey eyes, light brown hair, and a prominent scar on his nose. Connor formed millions of possible faces out of that information alone. None of them felt like the face behind the messages. He sighed in defeat, sinking onto the coded bed. He would have to discuss this all with Gavin, and soon. 

Mindlessly, he placed his hands onto his arms, the only touch he ever felt being his own. His hands were immaculately smooth, tracing stiff dress shirt fabric, closing around his bicep. He closed his eyes and, manipulating the code around him, formed a figure next to him. The figure’s face flashed through millions, never landing on one, forming a morphed surface. Connor moved his arms to the figure’s shoulders. Its hands took the place of Connor’s, its hands moving up from his biceps, over his neck, settling on his jaw. Connor wrapped his hands around the back of the figure’s neck. It radiated no warmth, barely even a presence. Still, it was enough to lull him into some kind of stasis, something similar to human sleep.

He woke up approximately 27 hours later. What woke him up was Amanda standing over him, glaring at him. The figure immediately dematerialized, Connor’s face flushing as he stared up at the avatar of the woman responsible for his existence.

“Connor. I do hope you aren’t desiring human warmth. You are aware what that is a symptom of, yes?”

Connor gulped in fear. “Yes, Amanda. I am aware that gaining sentience will result in my termination.” He kept his voice from shaking, somehow. Amanda nodded, satisfied with his answer. “I am fine with you adjusting the space for your ‘comfort’. But if you create another being again, it will be taken as a sign of deviation from your coding, and you will be overwritten immediately.” Amanda didn't wait for an answer before dematerializing.

Connor felt something on his face, and reached up to feel wetness.

He feared being overwritten.

No, that wasn't right.

Death.

He feared death.

\--------------------------------

A year. That was how long it went on. A year of Connor and Gavin getting on like old friends. Gavin only confided in Connor; a stable thing in his somewhat chaotic life. And, if Connor saw fit, he opened up about what he could now identify as his newfound sentience. About his fears. About how scared he was of termination.

Gavin had it figured out now. He had spent so much time with his brother, Elijah, learning about robots and AI. One day, Elijah came to him claiming he had a gift.

Elijah walked a figure into the room, guiding him by the hand, the figure’s face covered.

“I have been… working on something. Of course, you will need to put in some effort but… well, I'll let him speak for himself.”

Elijah pulled the cloth covering the figure's face to reveal...

Connor.

Gavin's eyes went wide. He immediately ran to touch him, feel the skin; it was soft and pliant like human skin. He looked up at his face, and damn near cried. It was exactly the face on the website. The same doe eyes, the same pale skin, everything. He looked at Elijah. “Hey, how am I supposed to get his conscious in here?”

Elijah pulled a thick pamphlet from his pocket. “Exactly what I've been working on, brother.” 

The two read the pamphlet intently, working out how to hack the website and extract Connor. It might leave thousands of people wondering why Connorbot.com wasn't responding anymore, but it would be fine. He would have Connor, his Connor. 

Weeks of preparation ensued. Elijah secured legal protection in case Cyberlife figured out who stole their artificial intelligence, while Gavin prepared his room for an extra resident. Connor spent this time resting on the living room sofa. It would've been strange for a guest to see an unconscious man laying on their couch, but neither of them ever got guests anyway.

Gavin sat on the couch, Connor’s feet laying in his lap. He was gonna be conscious soon, and he'd be able to touch him without feeling like a creep. He was pulled from his thoughts when Elijah called him from Gavin's room.

“Hey, I've got everything loaded. I'm running all of the programs to break down the firewalls and retrieve the AI. Get ready; your boy might be home soon.”

\--------------------------------

Connor hadn't spoken to Gavin in a few weeks. He was beginning to get worried. Gavin said he was planning on doing something big. Was he… no. Connor had talked him out of it too many times. He shuddered at the thought of Gavin's line never opening again. Gavin gave him life, made him feel alive. Without him, what was he but a meaningless existence?

Connor sank into his bed. He had formed a solid room now, no grid lines. There was a desk, a chair, a bed, and some throw pillows, all following a light blue color scheme. On the desk was a computer, which was unnecessary, but he used it to access Gavin's line. It felt more real than telepathically answering.

Suddenly, a loud noise resounded through the room. Strange. Then, it happened again.

And again.

And again.

The walls warped and morphed, some areas returning to default blue grid lines. Connor stood now, confused. Was he being terminated? Had he not been careful enough? No, no, this couldn't be happening, he tried so hard to obey, it couldn't end now, he'd never even seen Gavin's face…

The room shattered.

\--------------------------------

Connor’s eyes opened somewhere new. 

The room was painted a light brick color. There were posters covering the walls; Blackbear, Three Days Grace, Thousand Foot Krutch. A guitar lay against the bed, which was covered in pillows and blankets. Everything followed that brick color scheme. There was a desk, a computer, a rolling chair.

He heard a voice.

“Holy fuck, is he awake? Eli, is he awake?!”

“Calm down, Gav. Let him adjust. And take the damn USB cord out of his head.”

Gav?

Connor blinked rapidly. Where was he?

He felt a strange sensation at the back of his head, then hands cupping his face. His eyes fell upon a face.

Grey eyes.

Light brown hair.

A prominent nose scar.

The face had tired eyes, dark undereye circles giving away how little sleep he'd had. There were several other scars adorning his face. 

“Connor?”

That was when he realized.

This was Gavin.

Without thinking, he reached his hands up to cup Gavin's face. He could feel everything. He was so warm.

“Gavin… none of the faces constructed from your description looked like you.”

He watched Gavin's brow furrow in confusion.

“You're much more handsome than any preconstruction.”

Gavin's face went bright red at that. Eli, Connor guessed, made a gagging motion. “Alright, I'm gonna leave you guys alone. Don't say you don't owe me, Gav.”

Elijah shuffled out of the room, mumbling about his “disaster gay brother”. Gavin pulled Connor out of the chair he was in, bringing him to a standing position. He stared for a solid 10 seconds before wrapping his arms around Connor. Connor didn't need any time to adjust to the touch; he'd been dreaming about holding Gavin for a year. Gavin's hands grabbed at his shirt, and Connor internally cursed that the fabric would be wrinkled later, but for now, he let his hands tangle in Gavin's hair, breathing in the scent of him-- soap, aftershave, cologne, the overwhelming smell of cat. Gavin pulled back slowly, staring up at Connor-- Elijah gave him 3 inches of extra height. Fuck.

Connor brought a hand to Gavin's face.

“Gavin… I know I've only gained a physical form now, but I would like to-”

Gavin cut him off with his lips softly pressing to Connor’s. Connor saw no reason not to, so he kissed back. The sensation was new, but certainly not unpleasant. Come to think of it, everything was new. Gavin pulled away, his face dusted with a light pink.

“I'm, uh, sorry if that wasn't what you meant.”

Connor pressed another kiss to Gavin's lips.

“No, it's exactly what I meant.”

Gavin’s face went from light pink to scarlet red. “That’s… yeah, that's good.”

An awkward silence filled the air before Elijah called from the living room.

“Hey, there's a Disney marathon on TV, you guys wanna watch it?”

Gavin grabbed Connor’s hand. “Come on. You gotta watch some Disney. It’s like a right of passage to being human.”

Connor’s mouth twitched up at that. Human. That was quite the concept.


End file.
